New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for Russia on Monday to attend the 16th BRICS summit. The summit will be held in Russia on October 22-23. During the visit, PM Modi will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of the group members and other invitees.

This is Prime Minister Modi's second visit to Russia this year. This is the first summit after the expansion of the BRICS group. Earlier, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and UAE were offered BRICS membership at the 2023 summit in South Africa.

Argentina and Saudi Arabia were also invited

Argentina and Saudi Arabia were also invited to join the grouping. However, Argentina declined after a change of government and Saudi Arabia has not yet responded. The Ministry of External Affairs said that Prime Minister Modi will visit Russia on October 22-23 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, where he will attend the 16th BRICS Summit being held in Kazan under the Russian Presidency.

The summit, held on the theme "Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Growth and Security", will provide an important platform for the leaders to discuss key global issues. The MEA said the summit will provide a valuable opportunity to assess the progress of initiatives launched by BRICS and identify potential areas for future cooperation.

PM Modi will also participate in bilateral meetings

During his visit, the Prime Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts and invited leaders of the BRICS member countries in Kazan, the MEA said. According to Russian Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov, the BRICS Summit in Kazan will be attended by leaders of 24 countries and delegations from a total of 32 countries, making it the largest foreign policy event ever held in Russia.

What is BRICS?

BRICS is an important grouping bringing together the world's major emerging economies, comprising 41 per cent of the world's population, accounting for 24 per cent of world GDP and over 16 per cent of world trade.

The BRIC group was renamed BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) after South Africa was accepted as a full member at the BRIC Foreign Ministers meeting in New York in September 2010.